10-Mar-2006 -- The straight-line 20E border between Namibia and Botswana has fascinated me for some time now. According to the Namibian Roads Authority Map 2005 (updated version – ISBN 99916-763-6-8) the district road D1001 runs close to the 20E Namibia/Botswana border and not far from the 24S 20E confluence point.
On the morning of 10 March I set out from Aranos in Namibia on the C22 and then due east on the D1001 towards the Botswana border. Close to the border the D1001 turns due south and becomes the D1046. Access to the confluence point from the D1046 is through Maxie Steenkamp's farm Boesmanstad.
Maxie was immediately intrigued to learn that there is a confluence point on her farm 1.5 km northeast from the farmhouse. She drove us to the point through tall grass and thick sand.
Unfortunately when we got to the border fence, the GPS indicated that the confluence point was another 131 meters east of the border fence on Botswana territory. According to digitized map data however, the border is supposed to run directly through the Confluence.
I must admit, I was quite tempted to climb through the border fence but that would have been illegal.